Item Description:

This portrayal of Mount Vesuvius’ previous lava flow hints that Romantic culture was cultivating a new interest in volcanism, bolstered by scientific advancements. The image’s significance is neither sublime nor picturesque, yet John Auldjo still drew, copied, and sold this map successfully. This suggests that Romantic culture no longer required the sublime in portrayals of volcanoes, and that the public was becoming more invested in a scientific understanding of volcanoes.